Damp Monday With Big Waves
A mix of clouds and sunshine this Monday with damp, mild conditions. Drizzle possible throughout the day with light rain returning tonight. A stronger system will then come in on Tuesday with wind & rain. In the meantime, major swells (waves!) will be impacting our coastline for the next couple of days. It will be dangerous near the ocean with huge breakers, beach erosion, and coastal flooding. Stay out of the water.
AIR QUALITY: Good to Moderate
***HIGH SURF WARNING***
… for the entire immediate coastline of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, including the Monterey Bay now until 12pm on Tuesday
*Dangerously large breaking waves of 30 to 35 feet, including breakers up to 40 feet at favored spots such as Mavericks.
*Life-threatening swimming and surfing conditions and significant beach erosion can be expected. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches. Sudden immersion in cold water can result in cold water shock even for the most experienced
swimmers. Cold water shock can result in dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, greatly increasing the risk of drowning in rough open waters.
Everyone should remain out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions. Stay off of jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure.
***COASTAL FLOOD WARNING***
…for the entire immediate coastline of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties including the Monterey Bay in effect now until 12pm
*Significant coastal flooding expected.
*Life-threatening swimming and surfing conditions and significant shoreline erosion can be expected. Numerous roads may be closed, and some critical infrastructure will be inundated. Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches. Sudden immersion in cold water can result in cold water shock even for the most experienced swimmers. Cold water shock can result in dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, greatly increasing the risk of drowning in rough
open waters.
Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property. If travel is required, do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth.
Everyone should remain out of the water due to life-threatening surf conditions. Stay off of jetties, piers, and other waterside infrastructure.
Monday: Mostly cloudy on the coast and partly cloudy inland with an isolated, light shower possible. Otherwise, slightly warm and muggy with highs in the upper 50s to upper 60s—maybe even a few 70s in the southern valleys.
Overnight: Clouds will increase becoming mostly cloudy late with a chance of light showers around the bay before midnight. Shower activity will continue to pick up throughout the morning. With moderate to heavy rain just before sunrise. Southerly winds will also become gusty, especially near the exposed coast and ridge tops. Lows will be mild, mostly 50s across the area, with mid -upper 40s in the valleys.
Tuesday: A cold front will bring wind and rain with the potential for embedded thunderstorms early Tuesday morning. Nuisance flooding and minor wind damage possible. Widespread rain moves out of the region by late morning, but showers and perhaps a thunderstorm will be possible into mid-afternoon. Gusty southerly winds will switch to the west/northwest and remain gusty late in the day before slowly tapering off. Highs will be cool, with widespread 50s.
Extended: A cool air mass will settle in over the region into Christmas Day, though we’ll remain dry. The weather pattern will remain active, however, with rain chances Thursday through Sunday. Right now those chances haven’t coalesced into any particular organized storm system, but it looks like we’ll get brushed by several during the period. That could change, so stay tuned to the forecast.
*Note: Any alerts from the National Weather Service in Monterey will be noted in italics above. Alerts may be edited for brevity or local clarification
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This week's normal temperatures:
--COASTAL CITIES--
LOW: 41ºF
HIGH: 59ºF
--INLAND CITIES--
LOW: 36ºF
HIGH: 60ºF
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-The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for December 30th – January 5th calls for the likelihood of ABOVE normal temperatures and BELOW normal precipitation.
- ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) STATUS: La Niña Watch
- ENSO Forecast: Transition to La Niña into the fall and persist through the winter months.
- Area drought status: Abnormally dry for San Benito County, northeastern Monterey County and eastern Santa Clara County. Drought-free elsewhere
- Monterey Bay Sea Surface Temperature as of December 23rd : 55.7ºF (avg of 7 buoys) [December Average: 55.0ºF]
